Home for Girls, SLP Bancasi Association ink marketing agreement

Posted on August 11, 2022

**TO NEW BEGINNINGS.** On August 9, the Home for Girls of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office Caraga and the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) Bancasi Association inked a marketing agreement, through the Department’s Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) Program. The agreement marks the SLPA as the official supplier of farm food supplies such as fresh eggs and vegetables of the Home for Girls.

The Home for Girls (HFG) of the DSWD Field Office Caraga forged a marketing agreement with the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) Bancasi Association, through the Department’s Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) Program, earlier today.

The signing of the marketing agreement is part of the DSWD-EPAHP’s steadfast commitment and efforts to help community-based organizations increase their income by linking them to institutional buyers while ensuring food and nutrition security.

During the ceremony, OIC Regional Director Ramel Jamen emphasized that these agreements are vital because they are opportunities for the associations to grow and become sustainable. “Our activity today is inspiring because this indicates as a beginning for the association towards sustainability. But we also have to acknowledge the reality that sustaining a livelihood can be very challenging.”

*OIC Regional Director Ramel Jamen shares a few words during the ceremony to motivate the SLPA and encourage them to strengthen their partnership with the Home for Girls.*

Jamen also suggested that it would be best for the DSWD-HFG to conduct an evaluation activity with the SLPA after a month of rendering service to provide feedback to the association and help them improve their products and services.

Moreover, HFG Office Head Marissa Garay shared a few words during the activity as well and said that the contract between DSWD-HFG and SLP Bancasi Association is significant and symbolic for it is the first marketing agreement signed by the DSWD Regional Internal Convergence Team with an SLP association.

“This activity is significant and very symbolic because this is the first time that the DSWD entered into an official contract with an SLPA. We also allowed some of our HFG residents to take part in our ceremony because we wanted the association to know and meet the consumers of the products we will be getting from them. We hope that in some way, this will motivate them to provide a good quality of their products,” Garay said.

Home for Girls Office Head Marissa Garay (1st person on the right, sitting down) and SLP Bancasi Association President Nenita Javar lead the signing of the marketing agreement. This was witnessed by SLP Regional Program Coordinator Renante Abendanio (1st person on the left), OIC-Regional Director Ramel Jamen (2nd person on the left), HFG staff Cheril Jorta (2nd person on the right), and EPAHP Regional Program Coordinator Janrie Dudang.

In response to Garay’s message, SLPA President Nenita Javar committed that they will always make sure to give an excellent service and use the feedback of HFG as means to enhance their service. She hopes that they can meet the demands of HFG and deliver quality products such as eggs and vegetables.

EPAHP is a national convergence initiative under the Inter-Agency Task Force “Zero Hunger” banner program. Its main objectives are to help mitigate hunger, ensure food and nutrition security and reduce poverty in urban and rural communities – including the marginalized communities. (Social Marketing Section/DSWD Field Office Caraga)